Weather Forecast

Large snapping turtles pulled from Frenchman River in Wauneta

Written by Wauneta Breeze

Thursday, 30 May 2013 19:42

Thomas Barnes (left), Thomas Barnes, Jr. and Scott Hacker pose with the 23-pound and 19.5-pound snapping turtles they pulled from the Frenchman River at the end of Tecumseh Avenue over the weekend. The turtles will be relocated down river. (Sheri Hink-Wagner | The Wauneta Breeze)

By Sheri Hink-Wagner

The Wauneta Breeze

Three area fishermen caught two impressive snapping turtles over the Memorial Day weekend from the Frenchman River in Wauneta at the end of Tecumseh.

Saturday night Scott Hacker of Wauneta caught a 19.08-pound snapping turtle using only his hands from the area of the river just below the end of Tecumseh avenue. The snapper’s shell measured 15 inches wide by 13.5 inches long.

On Monday, Thomas Barnes, also of Wauneta, caught a 23-pound snapper using a hook and line. The larger snapper has a shell that is 16 inches wide by 14.5 inches long. Last week, Shannon Hamilton of Wauneta caught a 14-pound catfish in the Frenchman, whose tail shows signs of a possible bite from a large snapper.

Barnes said they had noticed some large snappers in the river recently and wanted to try to catch and relocate them for the safety of area youth who swim and play in the area where they saw the turtles.

Hacker said the turtle he caught came right up to him when he was down by the river. He and Barnes were concerned that a youngster might see a “friendly” snapper and get hurt.

Barnes and Hacker plan to relocate the two large snapping turtles downstream to the Pits in Palisade where they will be away from children playing in the water but will still have access to the river.